Base de données de publications

Around the globe, a wave of innovation is sweeping across the financial sector, from public equities to bonds, real estate to insurance, venture investing to small-business lending. In each of these areas, innovative players are using an ever-growing range of instruments to achieve social and environmental benefits, while producing attractive returns. This is the exciting field of sustainable finance, and it is growing fast. Nowhere is the opportunity for sustainable finance greater than in Asia, and only a sliver of this opportunity has been realized.

The Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society benchmarked the philanthropic sector in 15 Asian countries. The analysis ranks the countries on their enabling environment for philanthropic giving. Philanthropic organisations could be potential investors for inclusive businesses (IB) since they are looking for investments with a social and/or environmental impact. Social delivery organisations (SDOs), among them IBs, with a high level of transparency can attract philanthropic investment and thereby mobilise capital.

Xi’an Eurasia University provides high-quality, employment-focused private education in Shaanxi, China and is changing the perception of privately-run tertiary education in the country. With an education philosophy to maximize the employment potential of its students, Eurasia is committed to offering a combination of an applied curriculum and student-centred learning with hands-on industry experience. In 2016, 85 percent of students secured a job prior to graduation.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This report examines two of China’s most far-reaching applications – WeChat and Alipay – and explores their role in the development of one of the world’s largest and most sophisticated digital payments ecosystems. The report illustrates how incorporating digital payments into existing services has unlocked economic opportunities for hundreds of millions of users, including through low-risk savings accounts, new credit assessment and lending services, and by opening up new markets for micro, small and medium enterprises.

Asia is facing simultaneously huge growth potential and increasing inequalities, with often weak national solutions to the social issues at hand. Social purpose organisations (SPOs) are seen to solve these issues sustainably. Social incubation is seen as a tool to help SPOs grow and potentially build a pipeline for social investors. This paper presents insights from surveying 15 social incubators in Asa which have existed for at least two years. 

Research Paper #34 presents results from a randomized control trial in rural China designed to understand whether a change in the timing of the payment of a premium for swine insurance helps overcoming barriers to insurance demand and whether insurance allows farmers to increase investment in activities that expose them to more risk. Findings show that insurance take-up is three times higher among those who were given the option to pay at the end of the insured period; that insurance has a positive impact on investment; and that encouraging insurance purchases can have a positive long run effect on the income and welfare or rural households.

Using rural household survey data collected from Sichuan province in China, Research Paper #28 examines contributing factors to farmers' participation and their willingness to pay for improvements to the current insurance policy. The analysis shows that farmer demographic characteristics, the size of their operation, as well as their knowledge about insurance play an important role in farmers' insurance participation decisions. These results provide further insights for improving hog insurance policy design and promoting farmers' participation.

This case study focuses on the inclusive business model of Xiwang Sugar Holdings Company Limited (Xiwang), a corn processor, producing corn and high value-added starch sugar products in China. About 50% of its total annual corn volume is procured directly from smallholder farmers and the company works with 20 grain warehouses that purchase corn from these farmers to resell to agro-processors. The case describes the inclusive business model, the company's commercial drivers, results achieved as well as IFC's role and value add.

This case study focuses on Beijing Shengchang Bioenergy S&T Co. Ltd. (SBST), a bio-energy manufacturer located in Beijing, China, that turns agricultural waste into bio-energy, while simultaneously benefiting the local farmers by providing them with extra income earned by selling agricultural waste to the company and also by reducing their fuel expenses if they switch from their traditional burners to biofuel burners. The report provides information about the context, the history and the development of the company including the business financial model, the actors and the results fo the activities.